A face in the crowd or is she?
by Different Dimension Demon
Summary: She looks like you and me but behind those blue eyes just who is she? Is the devil in disguise, an angel on earth or is she just another face in the crowd? No one knows but she'll show them all. Fem!Cold hearted! Young ANBU! Naruto pairing undecided but not canon mainstream pairings
1. chapter 1

Void Ops. Wet work. X-rank. Three of just a few descriptors that describe the highest risk missions a ninja could be assigned. No sane ninja would accept such a task right? Death was guaranteed at some point, either the ninja who accepted the mission or enemies, and if the accepter fucked up the mission then their village would deny ever assigning the mission leaving the ninja to die. "I accept the mission Hokage-sama."

Sarutobi Hiruzen nearly choked on the saliva in his mouth as he looked to the young woman before him. Like her squad behind her she was dressed in standard ANBU gear with her mask clipped to her belt. Blonde hair was tied back in a high ponytail exposing tanned skin and cold dead blue eyes, eyes that had seen death at her own hands far too much for someone her age and was desensitized to it. "You do realize that you'll have to hide your ANBU tattoo and water down your skills in public training to not raise suspicions right Kitsune?" he asked trying to convince the young kunoichi not to accept the mission.

"We protect the village by all means possible. After all Hokage-sama, was it not my sqauds do diligence thar discovered Danzo and your advisors treachory that influenced the Uchiha clan to attempt their coup in addition to Himura Danzos desecretation of the corpse of Uchiha Shishui to get his sharingan eye that incensed the whole sequence of events?" Kitsune asked rhetorically. She raised a hand to silence her subordinates from speaking already knowing that one of them would open their mouths to speak on the subject. "Uchiha Sasuke is a flight risk and prone to irrational decisions since the massacre that was unfortunately necessary. His grave obsession with murdering his brother, our comrade, needs to be checked internally."

"Yes but.." Hiruzen grasped at straws realizing he talked himself into a corner he couldnt escape.

"If you're going to attempt and talk yourself out of the corner you so thoughtlessly put yourself into then give us an S-rank and let us be on our way. I despise my time being wasted Hokage-sama" Kitsune said with a narrowed glare. When the black file marked with a red X on the front was passed to her she took it and turned to her squad. "Til this mission is complete you will fall under Falcons command. She will report to me weekly and if so much as a peep comes to my ears about you giving her shit... HELL WEEK for all you except Falcon the second I come back." The squad shivered in fear of their commanding officer mentioniong hell week. ANBU initiation was hell enough but Kitsunes version of initiation into her squad was something out a master interrogators wet dreams and their nightmares very own worst nightmares.

"Do you have to scare them like that Narumi?" Hiruzen asked tiredly as the squad left after the blonde kunoichi dismissed them. The way she flipped through the file so dismissively made the old mans heart break. She was the villages greatest secret, the princess that should've had the boys eating out her hands instead of carelessly washing dead mens blood from her skin and hair every time she returned home from a mission.

"They must learn at some point Hokage-sama" Kitsune, or Narumi as she properly known as to only the Sandaime, said non-chalantly. Her dead eyes looked up expectantly at the old man and felt pity, one of the few things she bothered to consciously let herself feel for people anymore, seeing the heartbreak in the mans eyes. "So how precisely do you plan to cover my introduction? The truth of who I am cannot come out so you'll have to come up with some cover story."

"I was thinking on that very problem when I summoned your squad to my office" Hiruzen said as he watched Narumi burn the file with some fire chakra manipulation in her hand til the ash scattered in the breeze, protocol for S-rank mission briefs and above. "Since the only proof of your existence is for your own safety for the time being sealed I prepared this." He retrieved a file from his desk and tossed it to her. Inside was her picture, a fake name, a backstory and the whole nine yards. "I've already picked two of my most trusted agents to fit into the role of your 'guardians'. When the genin teams are announced tomorrow you'll be places on Sasukes team as this years class is short one student for a full graduating class."

Narumis eye twitched as she read over the notes and glanced up at the old leader. "Im not saying shit about my bloodline to anybody" she growled. "That bloodline is the only thing I have of my parents and you want me to pass it off as the product of another country that wants my head on a wrought iron pike? I god damn refuse." She stormed out into a shadow and seemed to melt into it leaving the old leader alone.

"Minato what would you do... I had to deny your wish and do this to her, to your daughter... It was the only way to ensure her safety" Hiruzen sighed to himself. "The village wouldnt have accepted her and would have tried to kill her... I pray you forgive me for doing what was the lesser of two evils."

-The next day at team placements-

Narumi growled as she grabbed her clothes and changed as the sun broke over the horizon. She needed to work out her frustations now so she could be 'happy and cheerful' as her fake identity said she was. Two hours of demolishing a training ground left her panting as the village clock rang seven times announcing the hour. Returning to her apartment she showered and changed into civilian clothes, she felt naked in them compared to her normal armor, before strapping on her kunai shuriken pouches though they did little to abate her sense of feeling naked. 'If only I could carry my fucking katanas with me bbbbbuuuutttt nnnnnoooooo that'd be too suspicious' she thought kicking the door to her 'guardians' room. "Wake your lazy asses up and get dressed already. Team placements begin in an hour and I dont plan to raise anymore suspicion than I have to!"

The door opened revealing a pair of women giving her a death glare. "We were just finishing getting dressed you little fucker" the first woman, a purple haired brown eyed woman that gave off the vibe of being an exhibitionist, said adjusting her skirt so it didnt make her fishnet body suit ride up her crack.

"And Im a chipper little fuck that shits sunshine and rainbows" Narumi shot back sarcastically. "Get laid on your own time when Im not around. Just because you two got picked to play 'my guardians' doesnt mean squat to me. Torture combo my ass. Waiting for you two finish your morning fuck is torture."

"I will not have you speak like that us young lady" the second woman said looking as miffed as the other woman while she adjusted her skirt and blouse so it was presentable. Dark red hair hung down her back in a braid complimenting her lightly bronzed skin and green eyes.

"I dont care what either of you thinks, I outrank both of you. Just because the Sandaime deemed to give you two fuck bunnies a vacation to play 'my guardians' for this mission doesnt mean you can boss me around. I have rank and seniority based on merit. Drop the high and mighty shit" Narumi said as her hands began to twitch really wishing she was allowed to carry her swords right now. "Now we're leaving and you two little bunny rabbits can go back to fucking each others brains out after you be good little 'guardians' and drop me off at the academy."

"You're a real bitch you know that right" the first woman said with a disapproving glare as she slipped on a tan trench coat.

"So Ive been told. Makes me good at my job" Narumi said leaving the apartment and waiting impatiently for the two women to follow. The walk to the academy was dead silent as people watched the trio of women approach the academy.

In the classroom the graduates were laughing and making a general ruckus when their teacher walked in. He congratulated them on passing and gave them a short speech of how hard the path was going to be from now on but with their teammates beside them they'd go far. Just as he was about to start reading off the teams a knock interrupted him. "Ano, Im looking Umino Iruka-sensei" a kind female said. The teacher blinked looking at the girl before him.

"That would be me, can I help you ms..."

"Ah, forgive my manners. Natsuki Kizukai, sensei. My family and I have been away from the village for the last few years training and Sandaime-sama tested my skills this morning to see if I had the skills to pass as a kunoichi for the village. He was very pleased to say the least" Narumi said pouring on the charm even as she dry heaved mentally having to be all cutesy nice and sweet. "He told me to give you this note as an apology for not warning of the very last minute change and this other note though I dont know what it is for."

"Forgive me if I dont believe you at face value Natsuki-san" Iruka said as he examed both notes. The handwriting matched on both notes and the Hokage seal proved authentic under a jutsu taught to chunin above ninja to verify orders.

"Not at all sensei. If I can speak freely, I would be rather disappointed if you did. I would expect any shinobi to verify the seal than take my word at just that" Narumi said. She followed Iruka into the classroom and plastered a polite smile on her face as the kids quieted down looking at her in confusion.

"Seems there has been a slight change. Seeming as we were off count by one graduate after an unfortunate incident, Natsuki-san here will be balancing out the team that is short" Iruka said. He silenced the immediate yelling and boos with the teacher patented Demon Head technique.

"I can understand your frustration with me, truly I can, but my family and I have been training privately away from the village for the last few years. Sandaime-sama personally tested my skills this morning to be certain that my skills met this fine academies standards but that they also would allow me to be competitive with you all. If you would like to complain to anyone Im sure the Hokage would love to hear you all complain about a decision he has rendered" Narumi said with a sickly sweet tone that threatened pain shutting everyone up.

"Natsuki-san, refrain from threatening anyone while I read the teams. At least wait til I leave and you all have to wait for your jounin instructors" Iruka said kneading his nose.

"Hai sensei" Narumi said taking a seat beside Sasuke as two girls fought over who loved him more. 'Damn fangirls' she thought darkly.


	2. Intrigue sparked anr pissing off banshee

Narumis patience was stretched extremely thin as she had to endure a pink haired civilian child pester the Uchiha for a date. For more than two hours since they had been waiting for their team 'sensei'. It was obvious that the emo child wanted nothing to do with anyone but the harpy whose voice had already cracked a window when she exclaimed her glee at being on Sasukes team was continually grating on her nerves. Finally having enough she turned in one swift motion and pinned the girl to the wall by her throat. "Listen here you little civilian ninja wannabe. You obviously have never trained outside of teacher supervision and spend more time on your appearance so I'll say this once. Drop out and leave the serious ninja to do this job" she said with a sneer coming to her lips. "Its little girls like you who claim to be kunoichi but expect everyone to save you when shit goes south that give serious kunoichi like me a bad name and make our male couterparts believe us to be incompetent." Her grip tightened choking off the majority of the girls air before continuing. "When I say you can talk I will let you. What is your real motivation huh? You look familiar to me for a reason. Ah yes, I know where I recognize you from. You're disgraced former Councilwoman Harunos daughter aren't you?" she asked with a mirthless smile.

Sakura glared at Natsuki with nothing but venom. Despite her difficulty breathing she felt a surge of strength and tried to pry the blond girls hand from her throat but failed pitifully.

"Ousted from the civilian council after her and more than half of the council as a whole was found complicit in stealing village funds as well as selling orphans into prostitution leading to their executions. Now what are you doing playing ninja? Did mommy dearest put ideas in your head Sasuke would love you and marry you if played a ninja?" Narumi asked as her eyes lit up with a subdued sadistic gleam. "Or are you too stupid to see she brainwashed you to be a pawn for her own gain before her demise? She put the idea in your head so she could have a hope to claim the Uchiha fortune from our gay tea-"

"I'd put her down if you want to have a shot at a career."

Narumis eyes shot over to the doorway and her mirthless smile fell into a scowl. Standing in the doorway was someone she was far too familiar with to be happy in any sense. Gravity defying silver hair, headband tied over one eye, standard jounin garb and little orange book- it just had to be Kakashi Hatake. "Bite me scarecrow." Her gaze turned back to the Haruno. "Just know that when you die because you find looking good more important than being a serious kunoichi nobody will mourn your death. No serious ninja will anyway." One final hard squeeze that cut off the pink haired girls air supply entirely for ten seconds of struggle she finally dropped the girl as she gasped in as much air as she could.

"You" Kakashi pointed to Sasuke who had watched the exchange between the two girls with rapt attention "help your other team mate to the roof once she catches her breath. You blondie are coming with me." As fast as it was he and Narumi were gone. "Why in the Kyuubis fiery shit are you here! Are you insane!"

Narumis eye became glacial at the accusatory questions. "Oh like you're one to talk!" she responded with a snarl. "Like you don't have an ulterior motive to be his sensei." Her hands balled up in annoyed fists.

"The old man forced my hand on this" Kakashi shot with a frown marring his lips raising the material of his mask just slightly. "'Teach the boy to use the Sharingan when he activates it' he said." The man snorted and rolled his eyes. "So tell me why the demonic legend of ANBU is here and nearly murdering a potential kunoichi."

"Can't" Narumi said shrugging. "And Haruno ain't a kunoichi by a long shot. Shes a civvie slut hoping to dig her claws into an actual shinobi to mooch off of for the rest of her life just like her mother. I can tell just by the subtle clues her dead mother brainwashed her to be that way for the Uchiha."

Kakashi raised his visible eyebrow at the evasion and was tempted to pester. Such thoughtless evasion must mean she was assigned a mission that was above his pay grade since he was no more than a jounin again. For the princess of ANBU Black Ops, the feared mistress of carnage and leader of her deadly band of sins, to be in the guise of a much lower rank than she actually was could only mean one thing. "Sasuke."

"I can neither confirm nor deny. You know how it goes Kakashi. You spent enough time in ANBU to know how protocol is" Narumi said hearing the faint echoes of the stairwell rising. "The other two are inbound. Stop acting so familiar with me and don't waste my time." She took a comfortable position leaning on the roof railing and looked across the village as the other two finally came up and knocked the door open.

Sakura glared daggers at Narumis back, the bruise of the girls hand from earlier around her throat beginning to darken, before taking a seat near the jounin who looked disinterestedly at them. "So sensei what are we.."

"Stop right there. Im not your sensei yet." The looks of shock and indignation made Kakashi snicker internally. Sakura was far too open to a kunoichi and he had to sadly agree with Narumi as he saw the looks shot over to Sasuke who ignored her. Sakura was not serious in the least of being a ninja, she wanted to be a leech off a serious ninja just like the rest of her family. Sasukes indifference to the announcement was a bit interesting though the tiniest twitch of the boys eyebrow was noted. "Before I explain let me explain something important to you all. The academy test weeds out those with potential to be genin. Out of the thirty graduates only nine of you will become actual genin, the rest will redo the last year of the academy or be dropped from the ninja program all together. The test the jounin senseis give has a 66% failure rate. Meet me at training ground seven tomorrow morning. I'd suggest not eating either. You'd just throw it up."

Internally Narumi snorted as Sakura made a sound far less than dignified for a kunoichi hopeful to make while Sasuke gave a grunt. "So we wasted out time when you could have told us this in the classroom. When you were almost three hours LATE to pick us up" she asked with a sarcastic tone. Just because her fake profile said she was generally a happy chipper person didn't mean she was going to be a 'happy' fucking little chipmunk all the time, thank you loopholes and oversight.

"Could have. Would have. Should have but then I wouldn't get to see all your cute annoyed faces as the other prospective senseis would have when they broke the news to their possible teams" Kakashi said giving them all his patented eyesmile. "Well, like I said be at training field seven tomorrow morning for your test. Ta ta kiddies." He left in a puff of smoke as Sasuke gave a 'Hn' and began to stride over to Narumi.

"Go away Uchiha. I hate thieves" Narumi said as she hopped over the railing. The shriek from Sakura and the subsequent scramble made the blonde smirk as she stuck to the school and wall walked down to the ground. Whistling a jaunty tune she was aware of the eyes watching her and paid it no heed. Finding the first empty alley she shunshined to the Sandaimes office and palmed her face in irritation. "You had to make Inu his jounin sensei."

"He is the only living person in the village with the Sharingan able to teach him to control it." Hiruzen made no apologies as he turned in his chair to face her. "Is this a social call Narumi? Last I checked you yourself stated you're no social creature" he said leaning forward with a challenging smile.

"Its not Hokage-sama" Narumi said with a scowl. The old man didn't understand the child that should have been never existed even if his hopes of her fake profile would create one even if it was a mask for her mission. "I wanted to ask one mission related question and then I'll be out of your rapidly thinning hair." Barbs like that coming from her were rare but a good indication of her irritation level.

"Well speak up then" Hiruzen said scowling at the jab. Just because he was getting older everyday didn't mean the barbs were necessary.

"Part one of my question: why punish me knowingly putting banshee spawn on the same team and part two of my question, regardless of if the team passes the teamwork test Inu is ordered to pass the team isn't he?" Narumi asked as her eyes wandered lazily, an automatic reflex to check for enemies so ingrained into her from missions deep in enemy territory.

"I didn't choose her, Kakashi did. I wanted to drop her completely since the girl is like her mother. I would wager he wants to prove a point about something. In fact I'm certain thats precisely why he chose her." Hiruzen grimaced internally and kneaded his temples. "I have made the suggestion to Kakashi for the sake of your mission, he was told someone would fill in to spot check the Uchiha but not who, but entirely uncertain. He may pass it regardless since Natsuki is a shining helpful little chipper soul isn't she?"

"That better be a rhetorical question. I already threatened the girl when patience ran thin and gave her a hard reality check when I nearly choked her out. Natsuki may be patient as hell but even a saints patience wears thin eventually. The only upside is my little... outburst has put the curiosity into the Uchiha about Natsuki. Makes it easier to keep an eye on our potential flight risk and corpse if he goes rogue in the future." Narumi saw the Sandaimes head plummet to the desk at her bluntness and raised an eyebrow. "I will take my leave Hokage-sama."

"Neko." A purple haired ANBU agent appeared at Hiruzens call after Narumi left.

"Hokage-sama" the woman said bowing her head.

"Get me Kakashi Hatake, a rubber chicker, some olive oil, a pineapple and some latext gloves" Hiruzen said as he glanced at the ANBU. "Double time. Oh and when you leave, activate the silencing seal on the doorframe. It'll get a little loud."


	3. Preparations and considerations

Narumi yawned as she readied for the day. Knowing Kakashi as she did she slept in slightly, getting up at 5am instead of her usual 4am, before beginning her day. She wasn't surprised her 'parents' were sleeping and rolled her eyes. 'You wouldn't think they were some of the deadliest kunoichi this village had to offer with this laziness' she thought slinging on some training clothes. Disappearing into the pre-dawn darkness she made her way to a non-descript alley and bared her ANBU tattoo, after making sure no one was around, to a non-descript brick that lit up. A stone arch appeared in the wall granting her access to the ANBU facility. As soon as she passed through the arch disappeared leaving a plain brick wall and an empty alley that someone peeked in a moment after the arch was gone. The passing ninja, having just returned from a two month long deep cover mission, thought it was the sleep deprivation of running the last three days playing tricks on her.

Making her way through the maze of corridors she came out to a large training area with a waterfall and rocky terrain. "The wonders of seals" she said to herself. Discarding her shirt on a boulder leaving her in a set of skin tight pants and an athletic bra she began her proper morning workout. Most of the ANBU forces thought her mad with how she pushed her body to its limits and beyond but in her mind it was entirely reasonable. Her burden meant she had to push herself to the very edge of extreme, borderline insanity, physcially and mentally to not succumb to the pressure of her prisoner. So if that meant a workout that even Might Gai would not touch with a thousand meter pole so be it.

It was with these thoughts that Narumi was interrupted by a loud throat clearing. Looking about she realized her body had gone on auto pilot and she was at the point in her regiment where she was fighting elemental clones while she used the surface of the cascading waterfall as her 'ground' to navigate. "Can I help you Commander Wolf?" she asked glancing to the black haired man in standard ANBU uniform and a wolf mask that was decorated in gold paint to denote his rank.

"Why are you here Kitsune? You know your mission" the man said with an indifferent tone.

"Indeed I do Commander. However, the mission has no bearing or restriction that I am forbidden from training in the facilities. Just because I have to appear to be weaker in the public sphere does not mean I must be so in totality." Narumi ducked under a kick and struck out with a punch that struck a clone that erupted into fire burning her skin. A tickle of pain registered before the burn rapidly healed leaving smooth skin. "Beside that point, I was not seen coming here nor was the entrance to the facility that I used. Have some respect for my intelligence and stealth" she said with a scowl.

Wolf shook his head seeing Narumi swiftly deal with the remainder of her clones. He didn't understimate her inelligence or stealth, she outperformed Snake on the stealth course holding the record longest for shortest time as well as not being caught once. What he and most of the ANBU forces did concern themselves with was their youngest members grasp of her emotions. While she was raised and trained to be like them, even initiated to be one them at nine when she proved worthy, that wasn't to say that they didn't worry about her. Narumi had exhibited a grand total of three different emotions since she had been four years old when her training began, those emotions being pity anoyance and indifference. Even their most emotionally constipated member of their forces, poison and assassination specialist Bear, had a wider emotional spectrum than Kitsune did.

"Kitsune is here?"

Wolf sighed as a female head popped in the doorway. Lion and Kitsune were odd together as the normally stoic Lion came alive around the cold young woman. Just what Lion found in the young woman to be much more animated, when not on missions anyways, was beyond him. "She was just leaving Lion. Weren't you Kitsune?" he asked though the question was more directly an unspoken order. Kitsune may be an agent approved by the Sandaime but she still fell under his control since he had the highest rank within the organization.

Narumis eyes narrowed a fraction as she let loose the chakra keeping her on the surface of falling water and fell into the water below. Surfacing with a push wind chakra so she broke the surface and dried off at the same time she cast her eyes to Lion. The female ANBU was a mystery to her. Her understanding of the agent was that prior to her own initiation Lion only responded to her squad leader and squad mates with the smallest amount of words possible. With her initiation in at nine years old Lion took a very hands on approach. If she was honest it was smothering really. Lion would try to help her with training and get in the way.

At first she had been cordial about it up until enough was enough and she blew up at the woman. Unlike others she blew up at recoiling in any regard Lion took it as a challenge to seemingly draw out any type of reaction from the stoic near emotionless blonde. "Correct Commander. I only came in to do some real training before my "genin test" today. I have to suffer through Inu being Inu" she said shaking her head. Once back on the rocky terrain she crossed to the boulder and pulled her shirt back on noting her pants were torn and singed. 'Well I guess these pants are getting thrown away' she thought shrugging.

Lion scowled as she drew off her mask reveal blood red hair framing her face and charcoal eyes trained on the young woman before them. She couldn't explain her vested interest in the young girl well. Being in her early twenties she had seen a lot of recruits come and go but something about Narumi struck her. It was minor at first but by the current point it was a game to make young girl react to her. Maybe it was the blondes near emotionless being that struck too close to home of her own early initiation to black ops.

Narumi pushed Lion aside ignoring the eyes following her every step. Lion would learn eventually she thought to herself. The interest the older kunoichi had in her had no bearing on her life. Disappearing out one of the exits near her 'families' apartment building in an alley behind a false dumpster she sighed. The village clock rang out seven times as she cracked her back. Two hours and Wolf had caught her halfway through her workout making her leave. 'Could've let me finish my regiment at least but nnnooo' she thought rolling her eyes as she made her way inside the building. Making her way upstairs and back inside the apartment she heard quiet moans making her sneer to herself.

Snatching clothes she made a purposeful loud slam of the bathroom door. It would interrupt the two and make her feel a modicum better to know she pissed off the two 'parents' to be interrupted. Twenty minutes later she was dressed with all her gear and two sheathes settled on her waist. She may not be allowed her swords at the present moment but no one said she wasn't allowed her long daggers. Not as effective in her mind as her swords, no matter the fact that from tip to pommel each dagger was the length of her elbow to the tip of her middle finger and the blade was sharp enough on both sides to cut a phone book in half effortlessly, but they would do as she examined them before sheathing them. Satisfied with her appearance, completely functional but leaving her a flexible range of motion, she secured both of her kunai and shuriken pouches at her hip as a mental checklist went through her mind. 'Shock tags, explosive tags, micro filament wire... Something is missing' she thought jumping out the nearest window. It took a moment to come to her mind and make her scowl fiercely. 'My demolition charges. My damn Class Five demolition charges' she thought sourly.

Barking sinister laughter echoed at the girls misfortune. The fox hated his warden and to see her suffer in any way was welcome to the malevolent spirit. 'It would be suspicious for a 'untrained new ninja' in the greater picture to possess explosives strong enough to level an enemy compound' he sneered with a cackle.

Narumis eyes narrowed dangerously as she jammed a mental barrier up. 'If only there was a way to shut the stupid fox up permanently' she thought scowling. The fox was as much a thorn in her existence as she was his but the annoying bastard generally kept his silence allowing her the space to keep her edges sharp. Lost in her own thoughts she barely registered arriving and beginning an automatic sweep of the training ground the test was to be performed on since she wouldn't put it past Kakashi to boobytrap it to test the Uchiha and wannabe kunoichi. After thoroughly satisfying that she found the traps laid she propped up on a tree branch to wait. "The Uchiha will come first then Haruno looking ready to strut down the runway." The words didn't register as her voice reached her own ears, her eyes closing for a moment. "Day one of the mission begins now." Her eyes opened with a sharpness as one hand rested on the grip of a dagger at her waist.

Sasuke arrived with a scowl shortly after. Preparing for the test was a pain in the ass in the males opinion. With no hint of how to prepare he was at a loss of how to prepare and settled for training clothes with spare kunai to back himself up. Spotting his enigma of a mystery potential team mate he scowled harsher unconsciously. She came out of nowhere and despite her displayed 'niceness' he knew there was a danger to her. There was a coil waiting to snap just under her skin, that much he knew for certain. Just what would ensure such a knee jerk understanding in him he wasn't sure but the wariness nagged him.

"SASUKE-KUN!"

Narumi scoffed and glared harshly at the pink missle that launched at the raven haired boy. An unladylike snort escaped her as the boy stepped out of the way and Sakura, somehow to a sense of foreign amusement she hadn't felt since she was three and the Sandaime had taken her out the village to see a magic show, got her head stuck in a hole in the tree. The shrieks of 'Bad squirrel!' and 'Not my beautiful face!' from Sakura made her snort once more.

"As amusing as this is" Sasukes eyes turned toward the new voice and spotted their potential sensei standing on the bridge over the rived bisecting the training ground "pull your team mate free. Your test begins now."


	4. Questions and Possibilities

"I will not kill them... I will not kill them... I will not kill them..." No matter how many time she reapeated the mantra under her breath Narumi slowly felt her patience slipping further and further into the red as she watched the Uchiha and Haruno fail at the most basic real world chakra control exercise known to man, tree walking. Even with her 'acting' like it was her first time hearing about the exercise and failing it purposefully the first few "attempts" she had been sitting at the top mark set by Kakashi for over an hour. By herself!

The Uchiha was utterly pathetic in the fact he only made it a quarter of the way before his anger threw his control off balance and the Haruno girls chakra levels were so low her control was fine but she barely made it halfway up onto a branch before she was utterly exhausted. Sakura had been so proud of herself that she made a show of waving down to Sasuke and that had made the males temper flare even further shooting his control to absolute hellish zero.

Observing nearby Kakashi could tell that things were beginning to escalate with the Haruno girls ignorance. "Alright team, thats enough training for today. We'll pick up tomorrow morning for a light session before we pick up a bunch of D-ranks for the afternoon workload. Sunshine, stay behind for a moment" the lazy jounin said waving off the other two and making certain they were gone."So what are you thinking so far? You can't tell me your mission even if I'm sure of what it is but at the least you can give a me a direction about them from your perspective."

"What am I thinking so far Inu? I think you're a fucking inbred retard for picking that leech Harunos daughter for your team and thinking you could make her a serious kunoichi. Her reserves are piss poor, her stamina is non-existent, her skills scream that she only trained under the eyes of the academy instructors and her mannerisms as well as cues of every other sort tell me the same thing we all know about the Haruno women: shes a fangirl whore who will spread her legs to someone with power & money to live a life of easy luxury" Narumi said with. a scoff as she leapt from her spot and landed in a small crater in front of Kakashi. "The Uchiha is undetermined at this point in time for my opinion. His reserves are above fresh out of the academy genin, his physical stamina is decent, skills are passable for freshly graduated. His interest in my cover is annoying me." Standing from her crouch she wiped the dust from her pants and stretched out her spine sighing in relief. "My biggest thought is I should have left this mission for someone else to deal with. I could be doing something _useful_ for the village like demolishing enemy encampments along the border or assassinating our enemies leaders but the Sandamie had to bait my pride as one of the best." The last comment was muttered to herself to but it seemed Kakashi had heard her.

"Fallen for the bait? Do you mean to tell me that-"

Before Kakashi could finish his sentence Narumi had her swords tip less than an inch from cutting the mans jugular. "I'm not telling you anything Inu. You asked me what I thought about them. Those are my thoughts, what you infer from that I will neither confirm or deny but this team will fall apart. The Haruno girl will play a big factor in it and I guarantee you of that. I'll even bet you a C-rank civilian escort missions cost of it" the blonde kunoichi said with an even drawl controlling the sharpness of her words just enough to make Kakashi not finish his question without giving it a seconds thought.

"I'll take that bet and raise you a C-rank bandit camp summary execution cost she helps it in the long run." If he was bothered by the sword poised in a near fatally lethal position Kakashi didn't show it because truthfully he wasn't. Narumi was a monster and a demon on the battlefield but she had enougb respect for the rules that killing other leaf ninja was a big no-no and she knew that. "Plus you going on a date with Sasuke. Whole romantic nine yards and all" he said with his famous inverted eyesmile.

Narumi looked ready to say fuck the rules and kill Kakashi for the second tack on but decided his blood wasn't worth the effort to clean from her blade. "I'll take you up on that misson cost but you can fuck yourself with a spiked dildo for all I care if you think I'm going near the Uchiha in any manner that could be feasibly construed as romantic or nice. I'd soon swallow cyanide, committ seppuku, or become a head shrink before I go a million yards in range of that brat without needing to absolutely have too." Turning on heel she paused for a moment almost like she was giving second thought to the previous thought. "Kakashi, answer me a question if you could" she said as she sealed her now sheathed sword away into a blood seal.

Kakashi raised an eyebrow at the change in address as he focused his solitary eye on Narumi. For her to refer to anyone by their name denoted that she was in one of two thought processes, number one was reserved for her team subordinates must have had done something worthy of praise. This was extremely rare given the girls threshold for actions being praise worthy was astronomically high. The second thought process was a lot more clinical and cold in not understanding & needing clarification, something akin to his fathers notes to what Sakumo had described as old school shinobi. "That entirely depends on what your question is Narumi" he said after erecting a a privacy bubble with a seal so no one could hear what they said or clearly see them to read their lips.

"Why is it people look at me with such... I guess the emotion is heartbreak? Wolf tries to socialize me and spend time with me talking about non-shinobi matters even when she knows I've killed people for less, Lord Hokage seeks out every opportunity to..." Narumis eyebrows furrowed in annoyance as she tapped her chin "try and make this cover feel more real. I don't understand it and it irks me to no end" she said. "You're the only person who I know from those who trained me to not look at me with such piteous looks I thought I would pick your brain. See if you had any ideas."

Kakashi was sorely tempted to tell Narumi she was wrong and that he did look at her the same way but not for the entirely same reasons as the Sandaime or the other ANBU agents who trained her since she could walk and talk. He wanted to tell her the truth but it would spell his execution and even his exemplary service jacket wouldn't save him. "I think its entirely too simple in that you scare them. From the moment you could walk and talk you were taught how to fight, how to kill, how to handle weapons of war. You were inducted into ANBU younger than Itachi Uchiha was." He paused for a moment as his eye closed and a grimace crossed his lips. "And look what you've become because of those circumstances. Your service jacket is one fit for a kunochi four to six times your age. Your confirmed kills are conpetitive with the head Hunter Nin who is twenty years older than you. Anko **_comes to you_** for torture tips and to watch you break a subject with a legal pad to take notes on your technique" he said opening his one eye only his gaze was hard now. "Then theres the fact you've been nearly pronounced legally dead on seven different occasions and you bat it off like its nothing."

Narumis eyes hardened slightly as she scowled deeply in thought for a moment. "So its concern for my well being then?" she asked looking over one shoulder. "Isn't that redundant then? We are shinobi, we live and die by the will of our Kage in the defense & prosperity of our village. Our living and dying doesn't matter in the grand scheme. People are entirely too strange these days worrying about things that are not of any concern in our line of work. Your input is noted Inu. Tomorrow then." In a moment she was gone, the wind folding around her form before all that was left was empty air leaving Kakashi alone.

The scarecrow-esque jounin sighed and was tempted to make for the nearest bar. That had been much too close for even his self-control. Nearly telling her who he was by her fathers choice would have been diasterous. "Trying to predict her reactions is pointless" he said shaking his head. One handsign later and the training ground was empty of life.

* * *

The Sandaimes office

* * *

"So whats your estimation of the other two Kakashi? I have Narumis report of them but I want your take on their abilities and potential" Hiruzen said as he folded his hands in front of him atop his desk. Narumis report was scathing and brutally honest & something he found himself agreeing with entirely. The Uchiha boy had the potential to go far if kept on a short leash but the Haruno girl was a funeral waiting to happen by all accounts.

"If you have her report then I have to say the only thing she and I agree with is that Sasuke has the potential to make a great shinobi if wd can keep him in the village. His physical abilities are good, his chakra reserves are decent for a fresh genin and his skills with ninjutsu & genjutsu while not on par with most of the village shinobi or kunoichi due to age are fine. I do not however agree with Narumi on the matter of Sakura. Despite her current tendencies I think her potential is being overlooked. Her endurance is pitiful and her reserves need a lot of work but next to Narumi and myself her chakra control is excellent for her age. If she were steered to be a medicI think she would be an invaluable asset to the village" Kakashi said shoving his hands in his pockets. "Permission to speak freely for a moment sir?"

"Granted." Hiruzen erected a silencing seal around the room and motioned Kakashi to speak.

"Once I dismissed the other two from training today Narumi asked me a question that struck me. She asked me why everyone looked at her like she was the greatest tragedy to walk the earth. She used _my name_ when she asked Hiruzen. You know as well I do what that means" the silver haired jounin said stressing the point. "When I told her what I thought and drew the parallel to Itachi as lightly as I could she shrugged it off. When I brought up that shinobi and kunoichi decades older than her had comparable service jackets and kill counts she shrugged it off like it was nothing." A pregnant pause filled the air as he took a moment to choose the right words to continue. "She drew the conclusion people are worried about her and do you know what she said? I'm paraphrasing here but she said it was pointless to worry about her living or dying because we live and die by your command for the continued protection & posperity of our village."

Hiruzens lips pulled into a thin lipped frown at that and furrowed his brow. That was not disturbing or new but to have Narumi ask so directly why was. "I'll speak with her about this at the next opportunity. Perhaps there is a chink in her armor we didn't see before we can exploit. This may possibly be the only crack to free the village princess from her prison we had to raise her in for her own safety" he said gravely.

Kakashi was no fan of the metaphor to describe what they had done but it was too true for the circumstances. "I hope you are right Hiruzen. Not just for us but their sakes" he made a vague sweeping motion toward the window like he was gesturing to the world "because right now she is the alpha predator more likely to kill you in cold blood without batting an eye than she is to save an innocent life without being ordered too."

Hiruzen nodded gravely and made a motion to dismiss Kakashi. The man disappeared wordlessly as the aged leader turned his chair to stare out over the village. "I hope I'm right too Kakashi. I hope I'm right too..."


End file.
